Tag: Jennifer McMahon

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Winter People

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

First line: The first time I saw a sleeper, I was nine years old.

Summary: The town of West Hall, Vermont, has had a history of strange disappearances and deaths. One the first and most confounding is Sara Harrison Shea in 1908. She was found in her backyard shortly after the death of her daughter.

Now in the present day, Ruthie along with her mother and sister live in Sara’s house. Nothing strange has ever happened until one day Ruthie’s mother, Alice disappears without a trace. While Ruthie is searching for clues about where her mother has gone she discovers a copy of Sara’s diary. As she looks into the mystery surrounding Sara she starts to see some parallels with others who have searched for lost love ones. Could they all be connected somehow? What is happening on this farm in small town Vermont?

My Thoughts: I picked this up at a used bookstore with the plan to use it as a vacation read. I know it doesn’t look like something you’d take on a trip to sunny Florida but it was also October. I have read several of McMahon’s books and always really enjoyed them. She does a perfect mix of mystery with a paranormal twist.

I enjoyed the jumping between the historical events of Sara and the present day with Ruthie. Multiple timelines and flashbacks are one of my favorite writing formats. The Sara storyline was really creepy and gave me chills. It was a perfect pick for spooky season but under all the scary bits it brings forth a really difficult question. What would we be willing to do for a little more time with a loved one who has died? It seems so tempting but as we see in this novel it may not be all we expected it to be. This book will make you think deeper thoughts and scare you at the same time. If you want a book for those cold dark nights then this is it!

FYI: Trigger warning : Death of a child, murder, scary scenes.

What’s Ashley Reading?: My Darling Girl

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

First line: “Ali Alligator?” my mother whispered as she crept into my room, slipped under my heavy quilt, cuddled up next to me on my twin bed.

Summary: With Christmas on the horizon, Alison receives a phone call that her mother has cancer with only weeks left to live. Making the difficult decision to allow her mother to spend her last days with Alison and her family she wonders if they can heal the wounds of her childhood. As her mother moves in, Alison is reminded of the horrors her alcoholic and abusive mother put her through. But with each passing day Alison notices strange changes in the woman she knew. Who is or what is her mother? And can Alison stop whatever has taken hold in her house before it infects her family?

My Thoughts: This is one of those books that is perfect for this time of year. It’s a spooky Christmas story with a dark entity stalking our main character. There is a rising tension throughout the book leading up to the final chapter. Alison is plagued by her memories but keeps hoping for a better end but as a reader we know that this will never happen. Something has taken over Mavis. As the story continues you can see Alison’s fear and obsession taking over making conflict with others around her.

I loved/hated the relationship between Mavis and her granddaughter, Olivia. It was menacing. She is having her call her a strange name and keeping secrets from Alison. You instantly feel like something bad is on the horizon. As more is revealed about who Mavis really is and her back story the pieces start to fall into place. It is pretty easy to tell what a catalyst for the evil in the house is but it takes a while to dawn on Alison.

The story is more character driven as Alison deals with her past demons and her relationships. I never felt that I could completely trust her and her memories. But I got a shock in the last chapter that gave me chills! Such a fun read for either October or Christmas time.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Children on the Hill

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

First line: Her smell sends me tumbling back through time to before.

Summary: In 1978, Dr. Hildreth lives on the property of a state of the art psych ward with her grandchildren, Violet and Eric. One day she brings home a young patient, Iris, in the hopes that time with other kids will help her start talking and progressing on her mental health journey. The children bond during play but especially with their love of monsters. As they overhear whispers at the hospital they start to question what their grandmother is doing with patients like Iris.

In 2019, Lizzy Shelley has created a name for herself through blogs, TED Talks and TV appearances on her monster hunting. However, when she hears about a mysterious disappearance of a young girl in Maine, she is drawn to this location. Is it the monster she has spent years avoiding and also hunting too?

My Thoughts: I really enjoy dual timelines. They make for interesting story lines and make the twists even more fun. I did hear a small spoiler while reading the book so some of the twists did not shock me as much as they might have but there was one part that was really not what I was expecting. I literally gasped when I read it.

However, I did find the story rather longer than it needed to be. It seemed to drag in the middle and seemed almost repetitive. But other than that I found the story to be enjoyable. It has a paranormal hint with still being a contemporary thriller.

FYI: Mental illness and monsters.